Lifted Frets: How to Find One, and When a Drop of Glue Is Enough

Short answer: a lifting fret is one that has crept up out of its slot, usually at one end first. You find it with a straightedge or fret rocker and a slip of paper, you confirm it by pressing on it, and in most cases a good tech fixes it by wicking in thin super glue and clamping it back down. What you should not do is file it level while it's loose. And if you find one, go looking for more, because they rarely travel alone.

On used guitars that "just don't feel right," this is one of the most common things I find and one of the least talked about. Sellers call it "a little buzz, needs a setup." Often the real culprit is one fret that isn't sitting where it should.

What a lifted fret looks like

A fret is a T-shaped piece of wire. The rounded top (the crown) is what your string touches; the stem underneath (the tang) has little barbs that bite into the walls of a saw slot in the fingerboard. When everything is right, the crown's feet sit flat on the wood and the barbs hold it there.

Diagram: a seated fret (left) versus a lifted one (right). Illustration, not to scale.

When it goes wrong, the fret rises a hair above its neighbors. Frank Ford of Frets.com points out that a loose fret doesn't always stick up enough to buzz. Sometimes the only symptom is that the note on that fret sounds dull or dead, because the fret isn't doing its job.

Why frets lift in the first place

There's no single cause, and this is where the forum arguments start. The usual suspects:

• The fingerboard shrank. Wood gives up moisture in dry air, and the slot loosens around the tang. If a guitar has fret sprout, I check for lift too.
• The fret wasn't seated or glued well at the factory. If the slot was cut a touch wide or the fret went in without glue, the barbs alone may not hold it. Frets.com notes that a fret that fits too loosely can spring up in the middle.
• Spring-back at the ends. Fret wire is bent to match the fingerboard radius before it goes in. Ford explains that if it isn't bent enough, the ends tend to spring back up, which is why experienced builders over-bend it slightly so the wire's tension holds the ends down. That's why lift so often starts at an end rather than in the middle.

Players argue about which cause matters most. On a used guitar it doesn't matter much which one started it. What matters is how many frets are involved and whether the slots still have wood to grip with.

How to check a used guitar for lifted frets

1. Play every fret, on every string

Go slowly. You're listening for a note that buzzes when you fret behind a certain fret (the string hits the high one downstream), or a single fret that sounds choked or flat compared to the ones around it.

2. Sight the fret ends

Tilt the neck under a good light and look along the edge of the board. Each fret should meet the wood with no dark line underneath. On an unbound board you're looking for a hairline gap at the very end of the crown. A string that snags on a fret end is another classic loose-fret symptom Ford lists.

From a past listing: the maple board on an American Vintage '52 Telecaster that had just had a full fret level, recrown and polish. Notice how every fret end meets the wood with no shadow underneath. That's what you want to see.

3. Rock it

A fret rocker, a short straightedge, or even a credit card on edge laid across three frets at a time will teeter if the middle one is high. Work your way up the neck, testing under each string path, because a fret can be fine in the middle and lifted at the treble end.

Diagram: the fret-rocker check. Illustration, not to scale.

4. Tell "high" from "loose"

This is the step most buyers skip. A rocker only tells you a fret is taller than its neighbors. StewMac's rule of thumb is simple: you shouldn't be able to slide a piece of paper under a fret. Then press down on the suspect fret with a fingertip or the back of a pick. If it moves, or the rocker stops rocking while you hold it down and starts again when you let go, it's loose.

How a lifted fret gets fixed

For a fret or two, the standard repair is straightforward. StewMac's method, which is what most shops do, is to run a bead of thin super glue along the fret so it wicks down into the slot, then clamp the fret down with a radius-matched caul or a fret press until it cures. Ford describes the same choice: glue it in place with CA, or replace it with a tighter-fitting fret.

The important rule: seat first, level second. StewMac warns against filing a loose fret. It pushes down under the file, pops back up afterward, and you've thrown away fret height for nothing. Once the loose ones are glued, a light level and recrown cleans up any small height differences. The 2003 PRS Custom 22 we have in stock right now had its frets recently leveled and beveled, then polished to an almost mirror-like finish. Fret work like that only holds up when every fret underneath it is properly seated.

When is it more than a quick fix?

• Several frets lifting at once. Both StewMac and Ford note that one loose fret usually means others. Ford goes further: if the board has shrunk enough to loosen frets, the best long-term repair is often a full refret. On a guitar you're buying, that cost should come off the price.
• Finished maple boards. On many vintage-style Fender necks the finish runs right up to the frets, and on some it goes over them. Gluing is usually fine, but pulling a fret risks chipping lacquer, so expect a more careful (and more expensive) job.
• Bound Gibson boards. On a bound Gibson board the fret ends stop at little binding "nibs" instead of running over the edge. Our old listing for a 2001 Les Paul Classic Plus made a point of noting the original fret-end binding was still intact, because a refret usually takes the nibs with it, so original nibs are a good sign the frets have never been replaced.

From a past listing: the bound board on a 2001 Les Paul Classic Plus with its original frets and fret-end binding. On bound boards, look closely where each fret meets the binding.

Should a lifted fret stop you from buying?

Usually not. A single lifted fret on an otherwise healthy neck is a routine bench repair. Factor it in; don't walk away. What I would walk away from (or negotiate hard on) is a neck where half the frets are loose, where the slots look chewed up from earlier repairs, or where someone has clearly filed a loose fret flat.

If the guitar also needs a level, read what a fret level fixes, and what it doesn't. If the fret ends are sharp too, the board has likely been through some dry seasons, and our piece on fret sprout explains why the two often show up together.

Our in-stock guitar listings include bench notes on fret condition and setup, like the ones for the 2003 PRS Custom 22 10-Top in Violin Amber.

FAQ

Can I fix a lifted fret myself?

If you're handy and it's one fret, yes. Thin CA glue and a clamp with a radiused caul is the standard method. Use very little glue, and don't file until it's seated. If the guitar has a finished maple board, or several frets are moving, take it to a tech.

Will a lifted fret come back after it's glued?

A properly glued and clamped fret usually stays put. If the slot wood is badly crushed or the board keeps shrinking, it can loosen again, and that's when a refret becomes the better fix.

Is fret buzz always a lifted fret?

No. Low action, too little neck relief, a worn nut slot, or simply uneven frets cause most buzz. A lifted fret has a signature: buzz behind one specific fret, or one dull note, usually on the same fret across several strings.